New England: Commerce and Religion Section 4.1 ?One American?s Story? Captain Thomas Smith was a wealthy New England Puritan. He wrote a poem about his struggle to balance his religious life with his commercial success. Regions of the American colonies New England Colonies Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New Hampshire Southern Colonies Maryland Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Middle Colonies New York New Jersey Delaware Pennsylvania The Backcountry: The region which ran through the far western edge of the colonies. (near the Appalachian Mountains) Resources of New England New England was the most populated area of the colonies in the 1700?s. Towns were settled by congregations ? groups of people who belonged to the same church.